Dive Brief:
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New York City exceeded its goal to start rebuilding 500 of the homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy by Labor Day.
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Through its “Build It Back” program, the city has started repairing or rebuilding 535 storm-ravaged homes and has sent a total of $9 million to an additional 543 homeowners who restored their own homes. So far, work on 68 homes is finished.
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A dispute between the city and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over the size of the reimbursements has stalled federal money for the program. But Mayor Bill de Blasio says payments to homeowners will not stop while officials resolve the dispute.
Dive Insight:
More than 19,000 homeowners waiting for post-hurricane financial aid, so the program is far from finished. But considering the effort was “dead in the water” at the beginning of the year— and that all of the progress that has occurred since then—de Blasio has lauded the project’s momentum.